Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: De-emphasize Differences. I was recently assigned to the middle school in the Warren School District. The district serves a community that had once been an all-white middle-class enclave, but has recently become more diverse in its ethnic makeup. I am very interested in multicultural education. I instituted the use of dialog journals in my adviser group, telling the students that they can write anything they want. Some journal entries cause me concern. Warren Jackson, an African American, complains that my emphasis on African American culture embarrasses him. Gail Smith, a white girl, writes that her parents object strongly to her affection for Warren Jackson and that she is considering suicide. My problems come to a head in my first meeting with the principal. The principal suggests that I decrease his use of small groups, that I abandon my dialogue journals, and that I de-emphasize the multicultural aspects of my classes. He suggests that I emphasize similarities, not differences. I don't know what to do. I do think that my methods have some value but I cannot go against my principal. Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) You are right. You probably can not go against your principal. He can determine your evaluation scores, whether or not you get a contract next year, and in general he can make your year pretty crappy. Before you decide what to do you have to evaluate if this is something you are willing to lose your job over. If it is then you have to do what you think is best. You are a professional just like he is and no one can argue that what you are doing does not have merit in the classroom because it does and clearly your kids feel very comfortable in your class if they are willing to share as much as they are with you. Clearly you are doing something right. But if you need to guarantee a contract next year then you should take your principal's "suggestions" seriously. If I were you I would just do what was asked of me and then look for another job next year. It is sad that it comes to do that with education today but that is just the way it is. Oh, and I would contact a counselor immediately about Gail! That needs to happen before anything else does.